Convicted murderer Nikki Roper suffered serious injuries today during an assault at the country's most secure prison wing.
Roper, 26, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his former girlfriend, Alexsis Maria Tovizi in Christchurch in 2010.
A source told the Herald the attack in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo today left Roper with a head injury and a broken arm.
Department of Corrections northern regional commissioner Jeanette Burns said the inmate was being "treated at hospital and no update on his status is available".
"Corrections manages some of New Zealand's most difficult and challenging citizens, violence is always a risk as many offenders resort to violent behaviour as a means of resolving issues and of expressing themselves," she said.